Generally, a search application (commonly referred to as search engine) is designed to retrieve search results from one or more databases based on a query containing one or more search terms. The search results may include hyperlinks (“links”) to relevant World Wide Web (“web”) pages. The search results may also include other relevant information, such as news articles, images, videos, and the like. The search engine may display at least a portion of the search results on a search engine results page (“SERP”).
The number of search results that can be arranged on the SERP is usually limited by the size of a standard display. As a result, the selection, sizing, and placement of the search results on the SERP can significantly affect user experience. One factor for determining the selection, sizing, and placement of search results is the intent of the user submitting the query. Conventional approaches for determining the intent of the user rely primarily on analyzing the search query. For example, a search query for “weather in NYC” may indicate to the search application that the user is interested in a weather forecast for New York City. However, in some instances, the search query may not clearly indicate the intent of the user. For example, a search query for “enterprise” provides no explicit indication of user intent, although the user may be interested in car rentals from the ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR company or the starship from the fictional STAR TREK television series.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.